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The abdominal muscles are located between the ribs and the pelvis on the front of the body. The four abdominal muscle groups combine to completely cover the internal organs.

The abdominal muscles are more important than many believe and they most importantly support the upper torso, allow movement of the upper body and hold organs in position by regulating internal abdominal pressure.
The four main abdominal muscles are:

Transversus abdominus – This is the deepest muscle layer. Its main roles are to stabilise the trunk and maintain internal abdominal pressure. It also compresses the abdomen.

Rectus abdominus – Slung between the ribs and the pubic bone at the front of the pelvis. This muscle has the characteristic bumps or bulges, when contracting, that are commonly called ‘the six pack’. The main function of the rectus abdominus is to move the body between the ribcage and the pelvis.

External oblique muscles – The external oblique is situated on the lateral and anterior parts of the abdomen. The external oblique muscles allow the trunk to twist, but to the opposite side of whichever external oblique is contracting. For example, the right external oblique contracts to turn the body to the left. It also functions to compress the abdominal cavity, which increases the intra-abdominal pressure.

Internal oblique muscles – The internal oblique muscle is the intermediate muscle of the abdomen, lying just underneath the external oblique and just above the transverse abdominal muscle. These flank the rectus abdominus, and are located just inside the hip-bones. They operate in the opposite way to the external oblique muscles. For example, twisting the trunk to the left requires the left hand side internal oblique and the right hand side external oblique to contract together.

The structure of the abdominals may seem incredibly boring, and perhaps they are, but it is essential to understand before embarking upon an abdominal training programme.

One final thing we must understand is the function of the abs. You may think the only benefit of firmer abs is that you will be presenting a more toned body image but more importantly however, firm abs have strong links to preventing back pain and back injury. The abdominal muscles are key components to providing strength and support to keep the body upright and for movement.

Now that you understand the biology of the abs, you can now begin your abdominal workouts and abdominal exercises so that you can lose the excess abdominal fat that has plagued you for years.

Everywhere we look, the vision of a beautiful woman always seems to be one who is waif thin. On television or in the movies, any celebrity over a size 2 is considered “fat” and is ridiculed endlessly by the media and other outlets. This kind of thinking has lead to an influx of girls who feel that they need to be thin or die trying. The ideas to lose weight fast like anorexia are popular with teenage girls who think that it is a glamorous way to be skinny, but they do not realize all of the bad things that this disease can cause.

If you are planning to go on a diet to lose weight fast, it is best to eat a healthy, balanced diet. By following a healthy diet of lots of fruits and vegetables, a small amount of proteins and a small amount of complex carbohydrates each day and getting plenty of exercise, you can lose weight much faster than you think you can. There is no need to jeopardize your health over shedding a few pounds. If you are serious about getting thinner and healthier, you must do it in a healthy way. Yo-yo dieting and following severely restrictive diet plans can cause irreversible damage to your metabolism and the functioning of your organs. In severe cases, this way of losing weight can even cause death.

Before taking such drastic measures to lose weight, look around at other weight loss plans that are much healthier. Losing weight doesn’t have to be deadly. There are many safe diet plans out there to choose from that work with your body to burn fat and calories. There is no magic thing that will make the weight disappear. It will take discipline and dedication, but it can be done.

You cannot simply become anorexic just because you think that is the way you want to lose weight. Anorexia is not something a person can turn off and on. It is a disorder that requires professional treatments and is not something to take lightly. If you feel like you are fat when you eat, have stopped eating all together, hide your food so that others do not see that you are not eating, vomit after eating, or other signs of anorexia, please tell someone and get professional help immediately.